Wire-stretcher.



A. GREEN.

WIRE STRETGHBR.

APPLICATION FILED we. 18, 1909.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

awe/MM, dnzozzw Green.

ANTONIO GREEN, 0F JET, OKLAHOMA.

'WIRE-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 18, 1909.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 513,473.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTONIO GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Jet, in the county of Alfalfa, State of Oklahoma, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in WVire-Stretchers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and, exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in wire stretchers.

It has for its object the provision of a stretching mechanism adapted totake up the slack of the wire and a holding device arranged to preventthe taken-up portion of the wire from slipping while the stretchingmechanism is being readjusted to further stretch the wire.

Another object is the provision of a device so constructed that wires ofextremely small diameter may be stretched equally as well as wires ofgreat diameters.

\Vith these and other objects in view as will more fully hereinafterappear, the

resent invention consists in certain novel etails of construction andarrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaim; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion,size and minordetails of the device may be made without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accom anying drawings forming part of the speci cation :-Figure 1is a plan view of the device showing the stretching mechanism in oneposition. Fig. 2 is a similar View but showing the parts in anotherposition. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the device.Fig. 4: is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1. Fig.5 is a similar view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout.

A bed-plate designated by the numeral 5 is designed to support thedevice. This bedplate may be of wood or metal, as desired, and issubstantially rectangular in contour and cross'section. The forwardend'of the bed-plate 5 is provided with a pair of eyes be employed whichwill enable the device to be attached to a fence post when it is desiredto stretch fence wires or to an insulator when telegraph or like wiresare to be stretched. The bedlate 5 is centrally provided with alongitudinal groove 8, which extends throughout the greater portion ofthe length of the bed-plate and the floor of which is centrally providedwith a longitudinal recess 9 extending through the o posite face of thebed-plate. \Vhat will su sequently be termed a carrier is designated bythe numeral 10 and is slidingly-fitted in the groove 8. The carrier ispreferably of metal and is substantially rectangular in contour andcross section and corresponds in thickness to the depth of the groove sothat when it is disposed within the latter its upper face will be flushwith the upper face of the bed-plate, or substantially so. Extendingthrough the intermediate portion of the carrier is a pin 11, the freeend of which extends through the recess 9 in the center of the groove,the said free end may be provided with a head arranged to bear on thelower side of the bed-platc and serve to prevent displacement of thecarrier in the groove.

Pivotally mounted on the upper face of the carrier and adjacent one endthereof are a pair of jaws 12 and 13. These members are designed toclamp the wires to be stretched therebetween so that when the carrier ismoved in the groove 8 they will carry the wire toward one end of thebed-plate. Each of these jaws is preferably formed of metal and providedat one end with a curved face which is corrugated. The jaws are securedto the carrier by means of pivot pins 13 and 14 which extend througheccentrically disposed openings in the jaws and adjacent one end oftheir curved faces. Owing to the curvature of the engaging faces of thejaws and their disposition on the follower 10, the said engagingsurfaces will hear one upon the other when the jaws are at substantiallyrightangles to the carrier. The outer ends of the jaws extend to pointsa trifle beyond the opposite longitudinal sides of the bed-plate, whenthe said jaws are at right-angles to the carrier, and are connectedtogether by means of a 'link 1 1, this link being preferably secured tothe outer faces of the jaws by means of pivot pins or similar connectorsas shown. In order to bring the engaging faces of the jaws intoengagement the said outer ends are moved toward that end of thebed-plate to which the flexible securing element is attached.

In order to move the jaws into and outof engagement with each other andat the same time to reciprocate the carrier in the groove, the followingconstruction is employed :By referring now to Figs. 1 and 2' it will beseen that pivoted between one end of the groove 8 and that end of thebed-plate to which the flexible securing element is attached andarranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the bed-plateare a pair of operating handles or levers 15 and 16. The inner ends ofthese levers are seated in counter-sunk portions 17 and 18 arranged onopposite sides of the longitudinal center of the bed-plate and the saidinner ends of the levers terminate in enlarged heads 19 and 20. Fixedlysecured to the inner faces of the heads are a pair of segmental gears 21and 22 and the combined thicknesses of the heads 19 and 20 and gears 21and 22 will correspond to the depth of the countersunk portions so thatwhen the parts are in position asshown in the drawings the upper outerfaces of the heads will be substantially in a plane with one face of thebed-plate. The heads and ears are provided with alining openings for thereception of pivot pins 23 and 24, by means of which the levers arepivotally secured to the bed-plate. The countersunk portions in whichthe heads of the levers are arranged communicate with each other and thelevers are so positioned that the gears 21 and 22 will be in mesh.Connection between the levers 15 and 16 and outer ends of the jaws 12and 13 is established by means of a pair of connecting rods 25 and 26,the ends of which are pivoted to the levers beyond the gears andfulcrumed pins of the jaws.

With this construction it is obvious when the levers are moved toposition parallel with the bed-plate that the outer ends of the jawswill be moved toward that end of the bed-plate remote from the flexiblesecuring element; whereby the gripping surfaces of said jaws will be inspaced relation. When the levers are moved in the opposite directionhowever, the said gripping surfaces of the jaws will be brought neareach other until the levers are at substantially rightangles to thebed-plate when the gripping surfaces of the jaws will bear one upon theother. It will be observed when the levers are parallel with thebed-plate and the gripping'surfaces of the jaws in spaced relation asbefore described, one end of the carrier will be at that end of thegroove remote from the end of the bedeplate to which the flexiblesecuring element is attached, and when the levers are moved in theopposite directioii as before described and the jaws are brought intoengagement with each other further movement of the levers will result inmoving the carrier toward the opposite end of the groove 8. Vith thisconstruction it can be seen when a wire is placed between the grippingsurfaces of the jaws and the latter are brought in engagement with thewire that continued movement of the levers will result in the awscarrying that portion of the wire with which they are in engagementtoward that end of the plate on which the securing element is attached.

After the wire has been stretched as before described, and before thecarrier is moved to its original position and the jaws brought intoengagement with another portion of the wire, it is evident that somemeans must be provided for securely holding the takenup portion of thewire and in order to accomplish this result the following constructionis employed :By referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that theopposite ends of the bed-plate are each provided with a pair of clampingelements. These members are yieldingly held in closed position and arearranged to open in opposite directions, since both pairs are identicalin structure a description of one will be sufficient. The pair locatedat that end of the bedplate adjacent the flexible securing memberconsists of a pair of jaws 27 and 28 which are arranged between theheads 19 and 20 of the operating levers and free end of the bed-plate.The jaw 27 is stationary and is secured to the bed-plate by a pair ofbolts or rivets 29 and its inner edge approaches the longitudinalcentral line of the" bed-plate. This inner edge of the jaw is roundedand constitutes a gripping surface.

The opposite jaw 28 is an elongated structure and of greater length thanone half the width of the bed-plate. The outer end of this jaw isreduced and rounded to provide a handle 30, while its inner endterminates in a somewhat enlarged head the inner edge of which isrounded and bears on the inner rounded edge of the jaw 27. The jaw 28 iseccentrically pivoted on the bed-plate by means of a pivot bolt 31,which is arranged in the enlarged head of the jaw and ad acent its outerlongitudinal side. Vith this construction it is obvious when the handle30 is moved toward the adjacent end of the bed-plate, it beingunderstood that the normal position of the aw 28 is at right-angles tothe bed-plate, that an opening will be presented between the jawssufficient to permit a piece of wire to be inserted therein and afterthe said wire has been inserted a pull in the opposite direction on thewire will result in the gripping face of the jaw 28 moving into closerengagement with the opposite jaw 27 whereby the wire will be securelyheld. The jaws are normally held in closed position by means of a leafspring 32, one terminal of which is secured to the bed-plate while theopposite terminal of which bears on the outer longitudinal side of the jaw 28 and by its pressure forces the handle 30 toward that end of thebed-plate remote from the flexible securing member whereby the grippingfaces of the jaws are yieldingly held in contact. The jaws 33 and 34arranged at the opposite end of the bedplate are, as before stated,identical in structure to the jaws 27 and 28 and are in alinement withthe latter and arranged to open in the opposite direction. 7

In taking up the slack in a fence wire intermediate two posts, the wireis inserted between the jaws 27 and 28, 33 and 3-1, and 12 and 13. Thelevers 15 and 16 will be in the position shown in Fig. 2 while this isbeing done. A movement of the levers outwardly will result in thecarrier moving longitudinally in the groove after the jaws 12 and 13have engaged with the wire whereby the latter will be pulled through thejaws 33 and 34. \Vhen the levers have reached the limit of theirmovement and are moved inward to secure a new grip on the wire, the

latter will be prevented from moving by virtue of the jaws 33 and 34,and 27 and 28 on the ends of the bed plate being closed upon the wire bytheir springs.

It will be noted that the jaws 27 and 28 and 33 and 34 when inengagement with the fence wire as shown in Fig. 1 cause the slack takenup in the stretching operation to bow outwardly. It is evident that thisbowed portion may be severed and after a sufficient length of the wirehas been removed to take up all the slack, the ends may be splicedtogether.

WVhat is claimed as new, is

A wire stretcher, comprising a bed plate, a slide on the bed plate, apair of segmental wire gripping jaws pivoted eccentrically on saidslide, a pair of transversely disposed handle levers having meshingtoothed heads fulcrumed on the bed plate, links connecting the free endsof the jaws with the handle levers, and a pair of wire gripping elementslocated on the bed plate in advance of said. jaws, and cooperating togrip and hold a wire during its release by said jaws.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ANTONIO GREEY.

Witnesses C. T. POWELL, R. E. Fosrra.

